What exactly is a gestalt?

[BloodyAx]

Whats a hiveminder?

 

[Rystil Arden]

Whats a hiveminder?

Short answer: Someone who posts to threads like this one

Long answer with all the historical Hiveminders

 

[Krafen]

Gestalt can be a good way to give a group with few players a broader range of abilities. It can also be a way to depict the characters (and their major opponents) as true heroes, several cuts above the common man. The one campaign I played in with gestalt characters combined both ideas. The DM treated it something like Highlander, where gestalt characters could sense each other when in close proximity.

Gestalt characters turned out to be less overpowering than I expected. The characters are more durable, but they can still only do one thing at a time which makes a bigger difference than you might expect. The broader range of abilities was certainly fun. Another limiting factor is often ability scores. Two classes with different ability score needs will spread you fairly thin.

The people I played with were fairly skilled players, but not powergamers. There are some pretty scary combinations out there. In the end, though, as long as the PCs are all at roughly the same power level, you can adjust encounters as necessary, and it all works out. The problem occurs when one or two PCs are significantly more powerful than the rest so challenging them is deadly to the rest of the party.

In general, Fighter or Cleric go well with most anything, depending on your focus. Choose a class to be your focus and then find a second class to supplement it.

 

[Shellman]

IMO,

Gestalt characters should only be used in campaigns with only a couple players. Idealy if you only have two players and each is playing gestalt pc's that compliment each other (like cover the necessary classes-fighter type, rogue type, arcane caster, divine caster) then you should have all your bases covered (i.e. trapfinding, healing, melee combat, general all around magic).

I personally wouldn't want a gestalt wizard/ cleric. If he goes down there goes all your magic! The best mixes are fighter/ cleric, rogue/ cleric, fighter/ wizard

 

[Wonko the Sane]

Fighter/Monk would be silly...good BAB, good saves, Flurry...nasty.

 

[Joker]

The most potent combination IMO are the once with passive abilities. I.E., abilities that don't take an action to use but are used in actions such as an attack. Rage, sneak attack, flurry, smites, bardic music (kind of) are what I consider to be passive abilities.
A cleric/fighter while very versatile and with a lot of staying power still has to take an action to cast his buff spells (which I'm assuming one would take that combination for). However with Extend, Persistant and Quicken Spell this "drawback" can be negated.

That's enough babbling out of me.

 

[jeffhartsell]

I've heard about them and I found a gestalt generator, and it seems that they're a combination of two classes, but what are the rules for them, and in what book can they be found (I don't own it, but I might want it)?

As others have said, Unearthed Arcana. We use Gestalt in our campaign currently because we only had 3 players at one point (have 5 now). We've been at this campaign for a long time (over a year). Currently 13th level.

We've got a paladin/cleric, a monk/sorcerer, fighter/rogue, monk/fighter and a ftr/rogue2 + barb/monk11 (me).

We treat a combo as a "class" for multi-classing. So if I take 4 levels in a different combo that I already have I'd get an XP penalty. Also, we use variant rules to determine saves otherwise they get out-of-hand when multi-classing gestalt. A ftr/rog1 + ftr/rngr1 would get +2 fort +2 reflex twice using standard rules. Our variant treats you as having 2 levels of good fort and reflex and 2 levels of bad will.

Gestalt is a significant power up even though you can only do 1 thing a round. Combining ftr BAB with a monk is uber. Giving casters higher HD as other perks makes a big difference, they are no longer squishy. Rogues with ftr BAB are insane damage dealers with TWF. Characters become more survivable (better saves/HP) and more flexible.

My ftr/rog2 barb/monk11 has greater flurry, greater rage, DR 2/-, movement of 70ft, AC 26 (nothing fancy), improved evasion, immune to poison, wholeness of body, whirling steel strike, whirlwind attack, uncanny dodge, slow fall, and UMD.

We use house rules where everyone gets able learner free and if you meet the stat reqs you get combat expertise and power attack free.

Combining monk once you get to the higher levels is powerful. SR, extra attacks, grappling/unarmed abilities, extra movement, immune to poison. Monk combines well with anything. Monk/rogue plus stunning fist then sneak attack. Monk/cleric of heironeous with whirling steel strike. etc. etc.